Charlie swallowed.
“But we've got a movie theater,” Don continued, “and a McDonald's, and Walmart is only a half an hour drive. Sallyanne'll have everything she needs.”
“What about school? Is there a local one?”
“Naw, they regionalized us years ago. But there's a school bus that stops right in town.”
“What do you think of the school?”
“School's school,” he said, shrugging. “Readin', writin', arithmetic. Sallyanne's real smart; she'll do just fine.”
“Look what I found,” Sallyanne said, running up at that moment with her hand held open. “An almost-perfect scallop shell.”
The white shell with pinkish-brown stripes fanned across her small palm.
“There's just a tiny little hole right here,” she said, pointing.
“You've got good eyes, honey bunch,” Don said. “I can barely see that itty bitty hole.”
“Do you want to take it home?” Charlie asked. “I'll put it in my pocket.”
“Yes, please,” Sallyanne said, handing over her treasure.
Then she took Don's hand and chattered happily about her day at school.
Charlie watched and listened. Don's description of his life in Tennessee had been unappealing; surely he knew that. Why does he want me to think Sallyanne's life with him will be less than satisfactory?
“Charlie, what flavor ice cream cone do you want?” Sallyanne's voice penetrated her mental debate. “Papa's going up to the sweet shop on the boardwalk.”
“What? Oh, mint chocolate chip would be great,” Charlie said.
Don jogged across the sand while Charlie and Sallyanne followed more slowly.
“My papa's really nice, isn't he?” Sallyanne said happily.
“I think so,” Charlie answered. I hope so.
***
The telephone rang, and Charlie handed Sallyanne the napkins and silverware to finish setting the dinner table for three.
“Jack! How did all your meetings go?” she said, delighted he had called.
“Fine. I've sold Sahara-Mars.”
“Before the auction? I didn't know you could do that.”
“I had an escape clause in my auction contract, if I sold it to a research institution.”
“That's where you really wanted it to be! So Peter Burke finally found the money?”
“Yes.”
Charlie could hear a smile in his voice. “You made him miserable before you sold it to him, didn't you?” she guessed.
“Payback's a bitch.”
“If I hadn't seen his behavior at your lecture, I'd feel sorry for the man.”
“Save your sympathy. I just got off the phone with Curt Vandermade.”
Charlie whistled. “I'll bet he hates to lose.”
“It was ugly.” Jack hesitated. “Do you want to break the story on this?”
Now it was Charlie's turn to hesitate. What an offer! Jack's attitude about her profession seemed to have taken a turn for the better. On the other hand, the direction of Sallyanne's life hung in the balance. “I'd love to but I couldn't do it justice right now.” She lowered her voice, “Don's here for dinner. I could recommend the second-best person for the job.”
“I guess I'll have to settle then.”
Charlie gave him a name and telephone number before she added, “Thank you so much for asking me. I'm sorry I can't do it for you.”
“Sallyanne comes first. A child should always come first. Good night.”
Charlie put down the telephone. He hadn't said a word about last night. She tried to console herself with the fact he had offered her a story. He had even approved of her refusal to take it.
Maybe that was better than sex?
The evening passed pleasantly enough. Before he left, Don asked if he could come by in the morning after his daughter went to school to “discuss her future.” Charlie agreed, and they set a meeting for nine o'clock. She suggested including Rhonda but Don demurred, saying, “You know her the best of anyone here. I want to talk to you.”
The next morning, he arrived promptly at nine with a box of Dunkin' Donuts.
“I've always been partial to the cinnamon,” he commented as Charlie arranged them on a plate. “Sallyanne likes Boston Creme so I bought a bunch of those too.”
“I love the marble frosted ones,” Charlie said, leading the way into the living room. Major was right on her heels.
“Can I give the dog a bit?” Don asked as he sat down and reached for his favorite.
Charlie wanted to be friendly so she nodded.
Don broke off a piece of cinnamon doughnut and held it out. Normally, Major would have swallowed it whole in three seconds flat. Instead, he lowered his head and stared at Don.
“Go on, Major,” Charlie said, giving him a nudge with her knee.
The dog looked up at her before stalking over to take the proffered treat. He immediately returned to Charlie's side.
“Sorry, he's still learning his manners,” Charlie said, thinking back to what Isabelle had said. Major really does not like Don. “Would you like some coffee?”
Don took the mug and cleared his throat. “Ma'am, you've taken real good care of my little girl, and she's crazy about you. I feel terrible taking her away.”
“I appreciate that, but I knew her stay was only temporary.” Charlie gripped her mug tightly. “As much as I've come to love her, I want her to be with her family.”
“Family's important; but I can't give her all this. I don't live where she can go to the beach. I don't have a house with a room she can have all to herself. She'd be living with her grandma most of the time because I've got to work.”
“It may not be ideal, but I'm sure she'll love her grandmother too,” Charlie said, even as she wondered where this conversation was leading.
“What I'm saying is,” and now Don leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “I love my little girl more than life itself. I love her so much I'm willing to give her up to you so she can have a better life.”
“Oh.” Charlie felt both relieved and terribly sad. Don had confirmed everyone's mistrust of him as a genuinely interested parent, but that left Sallyanne without a father. “Having Sallyanne live with me is only temporary,” she repeated. “Rhonda brought her here because it was an emergency.” She didn't add that she wasn't even a real foster parent.
For a moment, Don looked nonplused. Then he smiled.
“I can see how much Sallyanne means to you. I know you'd like to adopt her.”
Would you keep her if you could? Mike had asked. Of course, she had said. And suddenly, she had no doubts. Even if it meant she could never adopt a baby from China, she wanted to hold onto Sallyanne with a fierceness that shook her to her core.
“I will need to cover my expenses for coming up here.” Don's voice interrupted her thoughts. “And there will be some legal costs. And it must be worth something for a father to give up his daughter.”
“Yes?” Could he really be suggesting she pay him to keep his child?
“I figure $50,000 would be fair.”
“I see.” She tried to keep her shock from showing. As appalling as his offer was, she wondered if she should clean out her savings account and pay him. It might be the easiest way to get him out of Sallyanne's life. Instead, she stalled. “I'll have to think about it. It's a lot of money.”
“Not compared to that Mars rock your husband's got,” Don snorted. “You can't put a price on a child; what I'm asking is just help me get started someplace new where I won't be reminded of my loss.”
What you're asking is to be bought off. Maybe we could use this to our advantage in a custody battle? She needed to consult with Rhonda and Mike.
“I understand, but I've got to talk with my husband,” she said.
Don's face flushed crimson as he muttered something unflattering about Jack. He stood up. “Don't talk too long, or I may change my mind.”
“No, I won't. Thanks for the doughnuts.” Charl
ie wanted him out of her house before she said something to antagonize him. The man was beneath contempt.
He stopped on the porch and turned to level a finger at her. “I'll be back after school to spend some more time with my daughter. Maybe I'll take her back to the motel with me. She might like to spend the night with her papa.”
That was a threat, and Charlie didn't respond well to threats. “I'm going to keep this polite for Sallyanne's sake,” she said in a deceptively calm voice. “She stays here until her social worker says otherwise.”
“I'm her father. I have rights, and if you make trouble for me, my expenses will go up.” He put his face too close to hers. “I know you don't want my little girl to think her papa doesn't love her so you're not going to say a word about any of this to her. Are you, pretty lady?” Then be grabbed her chin and pushed her head from side to side in a travesty of agreement before she could jerk out of his grip. He laughed and turned away to walk down the steps, squaring his shoulders as though he had won a fight.
Charlie watched him get into his rented car.
Don McGraw wouldn't know what hit him by the time she was through.
Twenty-One
Charlie's first impulse was to call Jack but she quashed it as selfish; he had enough on his mind, and this wasn't his battle anyway. He did a good job of playing father, but dealing with the girl's real father was her own responsibility.
The fury Don McGraw had evoked was so intense her hands shook.
She dialed Isabelle, then Rhonda, then Mike and called a council of war.
An hour later, everyone was seated in her living room, listening intently to her description of Don's offer. “The worst part is, I actually considered accepting it,” Charlie finished. “I've gotten as sleazy as he is.”
“Honey, you're not even close,” Rhonda said. “But I don't think I can do much with the family court judge. Right now, it's your word against his.”
“You don't want to take this to court,” Mike said. “The girl would get dragged into it, and we don't want her to be made any more miserable. Rhonda, I think you and I can get creative and handle this ourselves.”
Mike explained his plan. “McGraw's a petty criminal, and he thinks he's smart. But I don't think he's a match for an overpaid New York lawyer and a tough-talking New Jersey social worker.” Mike raised his brows and looked at Rhonda; she gave a single nod of agreement. He continued, “I'll borrow the conference room at Haywood and Mayer in Spring Lake. Rhonda, you're going to wear your most intimidating ensemble and bring a bulging briefcase. I'll drag out one of my power suits.”
“What about me?” Charlie asked.
“You won't be within ten miles of the place.” When Charlie opened her mouth to protest, he held up his hand to stop her. “If Don calls you before I call him, tell him to talk to your lawyer and give him my number.” Mike turned back to Rhonda. “I don't know a damned thing about family law, so you'll give me a crash course in the jargon. And we'll need every form necessary for Don McGraw to sign over his rights to Sallyanne, so no court in the United States would hand her back to him.”
“Forms I've got,” Rhonda said.
“We'll set up the meeting for tomorrow. I don't want this character hanging around any longer than is absolutely necessary.”
“For a lawyer, you're okay, Mike,” Rhonda said, rising majestically and handing him her business card. “Let me know what time, and I'll be there.”
After ushering her to the door, Charlie came back and said, “Why can't I be there?”
“Because we may have to use tactics that aren't strictly legal, and you have to be able to deny all knowledge of them,” Mike said with a grin and a crack of his knuckles. “And you might be shocked by some of my language.”
“What about this afternoon?” Isabelle cut in. “Sallyanne will expect her father to be here. Surely you don't want him in the house after—”
“We'll go bowling,” Charlie said, decisively. “It's public, and we won't really have to talk to him. We can even eat at that new bowling alley. Will you come too, Isabelle?”
“I haven't been bowling in years—”
“Please?”
“I was going to say, 'so I could use some brushing up,'” Isabelle continued.
***
Sallyanne loved bowling, and never noticed Charlie and Isabelle kept their distance from her father. Don easily beat all of them, which put him in an affable mood so he carried the conversation at dinner. As they walked down the hall to leave, Charlie exchanged a congratulatory smile with Isabelle.
Just then, she felt a grip like a vise on her wrist, and she was jerked to a stop.
“You two go on,” Don said to Isabelle and Sallyanne. “I need to talk with Charlie for a minute.”
Charlie nodded to Isabelle. There were plenty of people within yelling distance.
Don kept his hold on her as he waited for his daughter to go out the door. Then he shoved Charlie against the wall. “What does your lawyer want with me?” he demanded, squeezing her wrist harder.
“Please let go of me,” Charlie said calmly.
“You tell me what that bloodsucker wants, and I'll let you go.”
“Mr. McGraw, there are a lot of people around. If you don't let go of me, I will scream.”
He stayed where he was for a long moment, increasing the pressure on her wrist until she could feel the bones grind together. Then he let go and took one step back.
Charlie pointedly massaged her wrist before saying, “My lawyer has advised me not to discuss the matter with you.”
Don flushed scarlet and stepped into her again. “I don't like lawyers,” he hissed. “And I may just change my mind if you don't watch it.”
“I'll take that chance,” Charlie said, sliding away from him. “Don't come in my home when we get back. Tell Sallyanne you're expecting a phone call, then leave.”
“Watch yourself,” he said, and stalked out the exit.
***
Much to her relief, Don followed her instructions, but her heart almost broke at the disappointment on Sallyanne's face as her father drove away. The telephone rang shortly after they got into the house.
“Charlie, it's Jack.”
“It is so good to hear your voice.”
“Sugar, you sound like you had a really bad day. What's going on?”
Charlie whacked herself on the forehead at her slip. “Nothing at all. I just missed you.” Weak, very weak, even if it was true.
Luckily, he bought it. “Any particular parts of me you missed especially?” he drawled.
So now he wanted to flirt. “No, just a general sense I hadn't had my daily dose of smug, self-satisfied male.”
“Oh, I'm feeling very self-satisfied,” he said with a low chuckle. “For all kinds of reasons. Really, sugar, how many men have made love on a 34-ton iron? It's a meteorite hunter's greatest fantasy.”
“Actually, we did it on a display shelf between two much smaller meteorites.” She wasn't going to give in to his telephone seduction. “Tell me another reason you're feeling self-satisfied,” she said, trying to ignore the heat his words were stoking deep in her gut.
“All right,” he said. “I signed the contract selling Sahara-Mars to the scientists.”
“Can you retire now?”
“If I cut back on caviar.”
“That's wonderful!” she said, smiling. “Any progress on the Mauritania issue?”
“Your buddy has gotten the right people together. Believe it or not, Burke has put some pressure on too; he's working the angle that Mauritania doesn't have the scientific expertise to analyze the meteorite properly.”
“I'm glad he's on your side now. He's a tough opponent, a lot like you.”
“Miguel just arrived,” Jack said. “I'll talk to you tomorrow. Give Sallyanne a big kiss for me. And sugar, this is what I want to give you.”
Before he hung up, he whispered two sentences that made Charlie's cheeks burn scarlet.
***
/> The following morning, on her way home from school drop-off duty, Charlie's cell phone rang. She punched the “hands-free talk” button and said hello.
“They've stolen Sahara-Mars.”
“Jack?”
“The bastards stole Sahara-Mars. Right out of the goddamn Museum of Natural History.”
“Who stole it?” Charlie swung the car into an empty parking place and killed the engine.
“According to the letter, an extremist faction from Mauritania.”
“Oh no! Have you talked to the police?”
“The police. The F.B.I. The C.I.A. And the State Department. I'm about to go over and watch the museum's videotapes. Museum security says the thieves bypassed the alarm system and knocked out the guards with some kind of gas.”
“That sounds too professional for a political faction from Mauritania. They aren't usually that organized.”
“They knew enough to take it in the case. So hopefully, the meteorite will still be intact.”
“What can I do to help?” she asked. “I could try and call—”
“There's nothing you can do, sugar.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Nothing at all. I'll call you later.”
Charlie was surprised when she pulled into her driveway fifteen minutes later; she had no recollection of driving there. She rested her forehead against the steering wheel and continued to rack her brain for a way to help Jack. She knew a few people in the New York City Police Department, but they were mostly street cops…a case this high profile will get plenty of attention from the police anyway. Jack had said the F.B.I. and C.I.A. were involved already. I could do some research on Mauritanian politics…but Dyson Foley would know more than she would.
She banged her head once on the steering wheel. “Ow! I hate this. I can't do anything for Jack. I can't meet with Don McGraw. What can I do?”
Opening the car door, she sniffed the fresh spring air.
“Go for a run with Major. That's what I can do.”
Soon she and the Kuvasz were speeding across the sand, scattering seagulls like confetti. As Charlie settled into her rhythm, she forgot the dog, the seagulls and the ocean.
If the meeting with Don went according to plan, she would be a mother much sooner than she had anticipated. Rhonda would never take Sallyanne away from her now, hazardous profession or no. Of course, she probably wouldn't be able to adopt from China. Usually if an adoptive parent already had a child that disqualified them. She searched her heart for any lingering regrets about not having a baby to cradle in her arms and found none. Sallyanne was a real person with a real need. The baby was only a dream.
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